(L+CR) Nagi no Asukara (Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea)

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

This is a nasty combination of her old fear of change and survivor guilt.

Very well-put. I think being the only sea-person to be completely spared hibernation has made Chisaki feel a bit isolated and sort of stuck between two worlds (the sea-world of her childhood and the land-world of her late adolescence and early adulthood). Quite fittingly, she's a fish out of water.

No wonder Tsumugu loves her, lol.

Originally Posted by sikvod00

Wow. Triple R made a very good observation (few pages back) when he compared Tsumugu to L-elf.

I'm glad that observation resonated for you, but it's too bad it had the opposite effect of what I was aiming for. I was hoping that comparing "passive" Tsumugu to "cool" L-Elf would make people like Tsumugu more, lol.

I don't always like the cool, calm and collected analytical thinker over the highly expressive bursting-with-emotion character, but in this show, I do. Because in a show where almost the entire cast are bursting-with-emotions, Tsumugu is like a breath of fresh air.

[Thess]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I don't always like the cool, calm and collected analytical thinker over the highly expressive bursting-with-emotion character, but in this show, I do. Because in a show where almost the entire cast are bursting-with-emotions, Tsumugu is like a breath of fresh air.

Indeed. I specially liked when Tsumugu impassively faced Chisaki and scolded her firmly over her selfish and messiah complex line even after her rejection. Nerves of steel.

[Leo_Otaku]

Well this was quite an enjoyable episode for me! So many feels.

I was ecstatic that we finally find out more about Chisaki's feelings and why she is acting the way she was. Though, I think some hints should have been spread out a bit more earlier on. But overall I find her reasoning quite interesting to say the least. I do feel sorry for her because of her guilt, though I wish we saw it spread out more.

As I was quite surprised with Kaname. at first I thought he was happy being a doormat but then we find out what he was really thinking. I can almost picture a School Days ending for him. The part with the train was a bit cliche and could have done without. But I do like how he is giving Sayu a chance.

I'm glad Tsumugu's knowledge is paying off at this point. I do hope that Chisaki will be able to tell her feelings to Tsumugu soon. Poor guy deserves it, he waited so long. I feel Tsumugu will be able to steer Chisaki away from that sacrifice idea and cram some assurance in there.

As we all know something won't go right with the Ofunehiki and all arrows point to Miuna. Not to mention every promotional image and her in the opening scenes. She is the odd one out too and the one that would make the most sense at this point. She would do it for Hikari because he loves Manaka and Miuna loves Hikari.

Originally Posted by Pablete

She could take a seat for some counseling along with Kaname and

Spoiler for her:

Maybe mention what series this is from. I am currently watching Chuunibyou 2 and I'm behind. I'm not a huge fan, but still...

[FlareKnight]

Yeah, I think we're prime for Miuna to try and pull a Manaka and sacrifice herself. I just don't think we'll see Hikari willing to let that kind of thing happen twice in a row. And of course it probably wouldn't solve the problems.

[Thess]

I foresee Uroko saving the say somehow... if he's truly supportive this time.

[kresslia]

It'd be too much of a downer for Miuna to sacrifice herself in the end imo. Not that downer endings don't happen, but I'm not sure it'd be the best choice in this show. Her family has been featured extensively and they certainly wouldn't be able to enjoy a happy ending if she sacrificed herself. Gotta agree that Hikari wouldn't let it happen. He'd fight it until the very end. No way he's letting any of these people sacrifice themselves after what happened five years ago.

Miuna might try something though.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I'm worried that Miuna will end up with no-one. But I'm not expecting her to die. I felt badly for Tsumugu, then glad he was so strong he could see through to Chisaki's real feelings. However, much as I loved all the emoting, I'm feeling as if they are rushing to wrap things up. I'd have gone more quickly earlier and more slowly now. I'm definitely no Okada-hater, but I'm feeling this is all a bit messy.

But the main thing I feel from this episode is just how good Ishihara Kaori is at emotional scenes. She did it as Kanna in AnoNatsu and she's done it again here, as Sayu. Great voice-acting from an idol seiyuu (part of YuiKaori with Ogura Yui).

[Guardian Enzo]

It's remarkable how pedestrian Nagiasu has become - it was a really fascinating fantasy, but now the entire fantastical element of the story has been reduced to the point where it only matters as it impacts the pairings.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

It's remarkable how pedestrian Nagiasu has become - it was a really fascinating fantasy, but now the entire fantastical element of the story has been reduced to the point where it only matters as it impacts the pairings.

I have concluded the series as if you're a shipper or a fan of teen soap operas then you will highly enjoy the show, but if you wanted something more grand or plot driven you will be left disappointed. And even from a soap opera point of view there are superior options (e.g. last season's White Album 2). In the end, it's just another typical Okada melodrama with everything else being side elements which is a disappointment.

[Flower]

After today's episode and reading some of the poster's reactions I have been mulling over a few things, and came to a few conclusions.

One of the things I was thinking about was why Uroko was so supportive of Tsumugu's idea? (Whether you think the idea was a good one or no in terms of narrative believability is another matter.)

And that kinda brought me back around to a larger question, which is how the story of Asakura could be not just summarized but even crystalized into it's essence. I think that part of the difficulty with some viewers is being unable to see what has been going on in the light of a carefully articulated context such a summary could offer.

Uruko's reaction to Tsumugu's suggestion seemed to finally give me the beginnings of an overall framework in which to begin to make sense of everything, so much so that if the suspicions are correct then the real leads / heroes of the story would not be Hikari and Manaka, so I am a bit leery about potentially building castles in the air.

Anyway, to get to the point of the post I was wondering if anyone else had a working summary of the essence and story of the Asakura series that neatly tied in everything we have seen thus far? I am not so much interested in using this as a tool for "accurate predictions", by the way, but moreso as a "meta view" of everything that has gone on thus far.

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Of course. But it's the same with her supposed feelings for Hikari. It was all a lie. She stopped having feelings for him a long time ago, but she was forcing herself to believe she still loved him so she could avoid facing the truth: that she was in love with Tsumugu now.

But Kaname made her realize that her feelings for Hikari were a lie, so now she's trying to use Manaka as her next excuse. And if that doesn't work she'll find something else. It doesn't matter what. She'll use anything to hid from her true feelings. Because admitting her true feelings is admitting that she changed, and that, in her mind, would mean that she betrayed all her friends who didn't have the change to grow up.

This is a nasty combination of her old fear of change and survivor guilt.

I don't know, despite I agree mostly with you, I don't think Manaka's is really an excuse. Hikari's feelings were. That has been confirmed now. And since she was trying really hard to not change, she couldn't have rationally cling on Manaka, because that would have meant implicitly acknowledging her feelings for Tsumugu.
What I'm trying to say is that Chisaki's issues are not strictly related to her romance with Tsumugu. Probably they have never been. And so what we have seen in this episode is her true problem.

The show never expressly addressed how hurtful the loss was for her, that has been left to the viewer to guess, as many things, but it always implied it in her portrayal. And I'm glad that she wasn't holding back only because she feared to have just been changed. Her problem is far more deep and difficult. And since it is not related to romance, I suspect that Tsumugu's love would not work, because if we stick with her words her feelings for Tsumugu worked against her and not in her favor. I mean, the more she fell for him the more it aggravated her survivor's guilt.

I myself after a certain point of the show started to think that her loss wouldn't have been addressed anymore, but apparently I was wrong. She, a girl with a big problem of insecurity, got hit hard, she lost almost everything. Everything.
And it wasn't just that, unless her sea-friends, she had it so much harder. She had to live 5 years, an enormity if we compare it with the span of time her sea friends lived within the show. I didn't calculate it but supposedly she "lived" 5 time longer, lived in that condition, suffering for that guilt that kept aggravating day after day due to her constant growing feelings for Tsumugu.

So, to make it short, I'm glad if the show would focus on it not just as another Chisaki's excuse, but as her real big problem. Because honestly it is. It's just not enough that her friends are back. The guilt doesn't work that way. She feels like she earned something (love) that she doesn't deserve because it would imply that she betrayed her friends and mostly her best friend. So until she will give "it" back she would keep feeling guilty. It's just that "it" it is not something you could give back, because it doesn't even exists in the first place. So I think that her ominous desire to sacrifice makes sense in her characterization.

Not that I want to excuse her or defend her, but I do think that what she experienced has been far more worse and serious than what the others did to be almost not comparable. For the seriousness of it and for the long-lasting of it in comparison of her friends.

[Thess]

Originally Posted by Flower

One of the things I was thinking about was why Uroko was so supportive of Tsumugu's idea? (Whether you think the idea was a good one or no in terms of narrative believability is another matter.)

I think because Tsumugu's the "brains" of the operation and he made it sound smart like having at least an hypothesis of how will work. Hikari, on the other hand, only had good will. I don't know if it has to do about protagonist-seat but that if someone explained you the framing of why to do this while someone else say the same thing based purely on determination argument, then anyone sound would only take seriously the former one. It's just logical.

I'm sure something unforeseen will happen as a "Plot twist" but things will turn up fine.

Also, I agree with Arya in most everything except for the part Tsumugu's confession made it worse. No, she's grieving, and denial is but a stage. She's over that stage. She lashed out at Tsumugu out of anger for her loss. She's steadily settling between bargaining and depression to spout what she did. This is good, because she's advancing to overcome it. If Tsumugu hadn't confessed, she would still remain unhappy in her delusion, she would not advance because she wrapped herself on lies. Now she will advance, it would be painful and devastating first, but she has a shot to solve her issues.

[hsmsful1]

Everything in this anime is complicated ......... to the degree that you like it. And every episode I watch is so touching and smoothing. They did a good job. And the animation is really good. Soundtracks are the best. There is not a character in this anime who you won't feel bad for. Sayu is so brave and Kaname finally showed us his weak side. I was so mad at how he is so cool all the time like aren't you a human too? I never would have guessed that Tsumugu loved Chisaki since the first part of the anime was so focused on Manaka.

Speaking of Manaka, I thought she forgot the feeling of love but not to the point that she would hear the word love and be like a small child like what is love. I feel so bad for her.


This anime is just really one of the best anime I have seen in the past two season. Too bad it will end in two weeks but for the people who are reading the manga, will we have to refer to the manga to know what would happen after the last two episodes?

[hai_san]

Huh did i watch True Tears again...?

So many tears this ep...

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by hai_san

Huh did i watch True Tears again...?

So many tears this ep...

You mean Anohana.

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Thess

Also, I agree with Arya in most everything except for the part Tsumugu's confession made it worse. No, she's grieving, and denial is but a stage. She's over that stage. She lashed out at Tsumugu out of anger for her loss. She's steadily settling between bargaining and depression to spout what she did. This is good, because she's advancing to overcome it. If Tsumugu hadn't confessed, she would still remain unhappy in her delusion, she would not advance because she wrapped herself on lies. Now she will advance, it would be painful and devastating first, but she has a shot to solve her issues.

Well, I didn't say that Tsumugu's confession made it worse, just that his love for her would not work in the way one would expect, like love being a cure that magically will heal Chisaki.
I agree with you that it was pivotal to let her getting over the denial stage and set her in motion again. As much as I completely agree she is grieving. And now she stepped into the bargaining stage. The problem now is how worthy she believes her bargain is. That's what I was saying, that I suspect Tsumugu's love could not influence her in let her reach the last stage, acceptance. (If not through the dramatic way).
Her sacrifice ideally sounded too much alike to Gramps' story. Taking also into account the ominous similarities with the first ceremony that led to Manaka's sacrifice I'm leaning toward Chisaki really trying to sacrifice herself. And if we keep following the similarities someone would replace her at the last minute. Tsumugu? Miuna? Hikari?

Surely I'm also strongly against a real sacrifice as a solution, (except well, that solution), and I'm not expecting it.

[FlareKnight]

In some ways I'm surprised Uroko is going along with this. You think as a scale of the sea god he'd have some reluctance to employ a plan that treats the sea god like an idiot. But hey I'm fine with treating the sea god that way so let's go for it !

[Triple_R]

I agree with Arya on how I don't see this show ending with somebody sacrificing themselves in a "bittersweet ending" way.

Now, I do think that Tsumugu's plan is going to run into complications, because the ending would probably feel a bit too easy and anti-climatic otherwise. And these complications could very well result in somebody (most likely Chisaki or Miuna) offering themselves up as a sacrifice.

This will be strongly objected to, especially by Hikari, and they probably will find a different way. However, even if the sacrifice goes through, it'll have a happier result this time, and so it won't feel like a sacrifice when it's all said and done.

Basically, I don't see Okada writing an ending where one person sacrifices everything to resolve the plot, the end.

[Kirarakim]

Basically, I don't see Okada writing an ending where one person sacrifices everything to resolve the plot, the end.

Agreed, I'd also be pretty unhappy if that was the case because why should one character have to give up their own life so everyone else is happy?

I could see Miuna for example taking this course of action for Hikari and Manaka's sake but I can't see that being the final solution.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

In some ways I'm surprised Uroko is going along with this. You think as a scale of the sea god he'd have some reluctance to employ a plan that treats the sea god like an idiot. But hey I'm fine with treating the sea god that way so let's go for it !

The Sea God has been broken down into a bunch of component parts. And it seems unlikely that they can ever be brought back together again. Uroko knows this as well as anybody does, and he's probably made peace with this reality. It's not that the Sea God as a whole is being tricked - Just his free-flowing emotions.

And Uroko just wants a happy ending, really. Tsumugu's plan shows a spark of ingenuity that enthuses Uroko, and if Tsumugu's plan works, it really would be the perfect solution - World's weather conditions get better (or at least don't get much worse), sea-people start waking up again, nobody has to be sacrificed.